So, the Emmy nominations are out, and sure enough, Hannibal — an immaculately written and directed show anchored by intelligent, nuanced performances by everyone from the main cast to guest stars like Amanda Plummer and Jeremy Davies — got totally shafted. Granted, the Emmys aren’t really a barometer of quality; The Big Bang Theory is up for Best Comedy, for God’s sake. But still, Hannibal is the kind of show you think would be Emmy bait. So why is it getting passed over?

It’s Gory

This one was likely a big factor. And I’m willing to give the Emmy voters a pass on it, because I get it. Half the time I’m grossed out by the show.

Still, it behooves voters to look past the gore and see why the show is so messy in the first place: There is no death, especially in the show’s second season, that does not have weight. By the dinner party from hell in the season finale, every death and possible death has a painful weight to it that even the monster at the center of the show feels. Hannibal’s heart breaks even as he slides in the knife, and that’s far more than you can say about most shows involving murder.

It’s A “Genre Show”

Calling a show a “thriller” or a “horror series” is the mark of Cain when it comes to awards: Either you have to “transcend the genre” or be incredibly popular. The Americans and Justified are just two examples of this bias at work.

But Hannibal has two strikes, in that it’s not just a genre show, but in a genre that doesn’t have the best track record on TV. A lot of horror shows on TV barely make it to a first season finale, and for a good reason: They stink. It’s not surprising Hannibal was dismissed out of hand for the genre it belongs to, but it is disappointing.

The Elderly Hate It

OK, so perhaps that’s a little harsh, but if you look at the ratings, the show consistently pulls in almost entirely the key demographic of 18-49 year olds and almost no one else. Emmy voters tend to skew older; notice that The Good Wife, despite not exactly being a cultural force on the level of Breaking Bad, got a lot of acting nominations. That tells you what Emmy voters tend to be watching.

It’s Made With Foreign Money

Hannibal is an odd duck in that it’s produced more like an independent film than a traditional American TV series; the majority of its funding comes from Gaumont and Sony, who air the show in foreign territories. That makes the show dirt cheap for NBC, but it also means nobody, including NBC, will make any money off it if it bags an Emmy nomination, so no one bothered to vote for it. It doesn’t help matters that it’s shot in Canada, leaving many Emmy voters even more disinterested in supporting it.

It Doesn’t Fit The Mold Of A “Quality TV Show”

Probably the biggest factor, though, is just that Hannibal isn’t afraid to be a difficult show on multiple levels. Gina Torres’ arc in the show is a good example: Any other show would treat Bella’s cancer arc as a big weepy dramatic plotline. Instead it’s a series of small moments, and honestly it’s far more honest about the ugly nature of grief than you generally see on television. Bella Crawford is not a pretty little victim dying of Old Movie Disease, but a messy, complicated human being angry that she’s dying and in pain because she wants to spare her husband what pain she can. And it brings out layers in the rest of the cast: Hannibal, for example, actually gives her good advice.

Even the background components aren’t traditional television; the show has managed to sneak hilariously dirty works of art (Link NSFW, obviously) onto the air uncensored, and Brian Reitzell’s score could not care less if it’s pretty to listen to.

To a lot of people, that’s not how television is supposed to work. It’s supposed to be neat and pretty, a place for everything and everything in its place. Hannibal doesn’t fit in with what too many Emmy voters see as “quality television.” But if it can’t win any awards, at least it’s won a place in our hearts.

Join The Discussion

Everything you say is true but its sad, real sad. Hannibal is an extraordinary show.

everything about it aches class. every shot, every location. I adore it.

(my only issue is i keep expecting Fishburne to turn around and say ‘What if I told you….’ especially if he’s wearing shades)

The voting age bias is a real problem. I was reading about the same issues that the Oscars have as well where the average age of voting members is something like 63. As well as people getting more in their ways, older people can be more likely to look through the list and go ‘oh Tom Hanks – I do like him’ and vote no matter what the part or whether they have seen it.

I think the votes in all these things should be a privilege you get for 10 years after winning – or being nominated – for an award

I can get where people would read a description of the show and say, “Yeah, not my bag.” I probably wouldn’t have watched it at first if I wasn’t such a huge Bryan Fuller fan. But it’s sooooooo much more than a horror show, a procedural, a remake, or however else people would try to classify it.

It’s funny, I was about to go all indignant and “HOW DAER YOU” but you’re 100% correct– I thought both of those shows were going to blow goats when they were announced… I guess Hannibal maybe wins out as the bigger surprise just because that particular franchise had been made into multiple films of varying quality already and felt more “beating a dead horse”-like than Fargo (which, whoo man was I not looking forward to… and it ended up being maybe my favorite season of TV this year)

I’m about as ‘elderly’ as you can get and still stay awake to T,V, and I love everything about this show. As for the gore, I have not seen anything on Hannibal that is worse than Game of Thrones ‘Red Wedding’ episode or the continual torture of Theon Grayjoy. The Emmy’s will never acknowledge series that do not follow a certain format. Look at the no noms list. My So Called Life, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (now taught as a college course ), Joan of Arcadia, Dead Like Me – all shows with unconventional plot lines and off the beaten path subject matter. I think the judges are chronically lacking in the ability to spot break out entertainment.

Hannibal is fantastic. I wish more people watched it but I’ve come to the conclusion that most Americans have a terrible taste in television (excluding my buddies in UPROXX, of course). How else can you explain how Big Bang Theory is so popular?

I am shocked to learn that Hannibal is cheap to make. It feels expensive when I watch it. The sets are amazing, the direction is too-notch, the cast is wonderful. It seems like it would be pricey.
Such an amazing show though, I look forward to watching Hannibal like I look forward to GoT.

Well it’s cheap for NBC because they’re not paying for it, Sony and another production company are. I don’t think the article meant to insinuate that it was a low-budget show (though if it is a low-budget show, holy HELL do I agree with you in that it *feels* like a million bucks every episode)

@BRBCK Nobody knows the exact number, but Bryan Fuller has admitted he has about half what other shows have to work with in interviews. That means probably between $1.5 and $2 million per episode. Basically, Bryan Fuller deserves all the Emmys, and probably also a Purple Heart.

Awards do not make a show better or worse. Many awesome things in life do not get the accolades or recognition they deserve. Anyone with a 3 digit IQ can see Hannibal is brilliance. Its detractors have an easy road.

I am over 50 so don’t say stupid things like the “elderly” don’t watch Hannibal or that The Good Wife isn’t top notch television which it is. Try watching it. Hannibal most likely was dissed because of the foreign money and its not a Hollywood production. Orphan Black suffered the same fate. Hannibal is a great show and may or may not be recognized but it will still be great. Bryan Fuller is destined to go down as one of the great television creators of shows and might not be recognized as such until he is elderly.

I doubt the writer was insinuating that 50+ qualifies as “elderly”. Lol And there is a strong possibility that you are in the 50+ minority, considering the demographics. Glad you’re on board with it. :)

One question I have about voting is, do they use the Oscar model generally and for nominations, have specialists within each area select the nominees? While I get Hannibal being shut out for wins for many of the reasons listed, it strikes me as odd that cinematographers, production designers, costume designers, composers would all fall into line with those reasons and be unwilling to recognize the creative talent with a nomination.

I admit I have to watch the show with my eyes covered for what feels like 50% of the time. I guess I could get the aversion to voting for it as the top drama series, but the creative and technical values in every episode are undeniable.

Mads Mikkelsen not being recognized is a shame. He’s certainly redeemed the character from the buffoonish ham-mery that Hopkins drove it into.

Bryan fuller has said that despite the cheap costs for NBC etc.. However the amount he’s given per episode is below the norm. So it’s cheap but also restricting for Bryan fuller to do all that he wants with Hannibal, which is shocking for me when I was watching the interview as I feel the story is complete as it can be and a work of art. It’s sad that they weren’t nominated any Emmys to get them more as an A-list show so more people can discover this truest gore sensational programme and enjoy it for themselves just as I have, as well as enforcing this belief on friends and getting them to watch it too!!